{
  "id": "RL33091",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL33091",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 309234,
      "date": "2005-10-18",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:29:36.697029",
      "title": "Hurricane Katrina-Related Immigration Issues and Legislation",
      "summary": "The devastation and displacement caused by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast region of the\nUnited States has very specific implications for foreign nationals who lived in the region. Whether\nthe foreign national is a legal permanent resident (LPR), a nonimmigrant (e.g., temporary resident\nsuch a foreign student, intracompany transferee, or guest worker) or an unauthorized alien (i.e.,\nillegal immigrant) is a significant additional factor in how federal laws and policies are applied.\n In\nthis context, the key question is whether Congress should relax any of these laws pertaining to\nforeign nationals who are victims of Hurricane Katrina .\n Many of the victims of Hurricane Katrina lack personal identification documents as a result of\nbeing evacuated from their homes, loss or damage to personal items and records, and ongoing\ndisplacement in shelters and temporary housing. As a result of the widespread damage and\ndestruction to government facilities in the area affected by the hurricane, moreover, many victims\nwill be unable to have personal documents re-issued in the near future. Lack of adequate personal\nidentification documentation, a problem for all victims, has specific consequences under immigration\nlaw, especially when it comes to employment and eligibility for programs and assistance.\n Noncitizens -- regardless of their immigration status -- are not barred from short-term, in-kind\nemergency disaster relief and services, or from assistance that delivers in-kind services at the\ncommunity level, provides assistance without individual determinations of each recipient's needs,\nand is necessary for the protection of life and safety. As legislation to ease the eligibility rules of\nmajor federal programs for Hurricane Katrina victims generally is under consideration, the question\nof whether to ease the specific rules for immigrants has arisen ( S. 1695 ).\n Most avenues for immigration require that aliens have a family member or employer who is\neligible, able, and willing to sponsor them. There are very few immigration opportunities based on\nself petitioning. The loss of life, devastation of businesses, or depletion of personal assets directly\naffects visa qualifications for otherwise eligible aliens who are victims of Hurricane Katrina or the\nfamily of victims. It also affects nonimmigrants whose purposes for the temporary visas are\ndisrupted by the hurricane and its aftermath. Legislation comparable to that enacted for surviving\nfamily of victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks has passed the House ( H.R. 3827 ).\n Finally, at various times in the past, the government has given discretionary relief from\ndeportation so that aliens who have not been legally admitted to the United States or whose\ntemporary visas have expired nonetheless may remain in this country temporarily. Following the\nSeptember 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, for example, family members of victims whose own\nimmigration status was dependent on the victim's immigration status were assured that they should\nnot be concerned about facing immediate removal from the United States. This report will be\nupdated.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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      "topics": []
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs7660/",
      "id": "RL33091 2005-09-19",
      "date": "2005-09-19",
      "retrieved": "2005-11-02T15:18:39",
      "title": "Hurricane Katrina-Related Immigration Issues and Legislation",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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          "filename": "files/20050919_RL33091_8be08aab9a65efbc304d27b35b4e63e31c804fb8.html"
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      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Immigration",
          "name": "Immigration"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Aliens",
          "name": "Aliens"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Disaster relief",
          "name": "Disaster relief"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Hurricane Katrina (2005)",
          "name": "Hurricane Katrina (2005)"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Emergency management",
          "name": "Emergency management"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Immigration Policy"
  ]
}